Judge removes Guerra as prosecutor for 5 of 9 criminal cases involving Vice President Cheney and Texas State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr.

Texas Rangers to escort Guerra to court Friday morning after having been found in Mexico

ROBERT WILCOX Editor/Reporter

After being AWOL from the job and violating sections of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct - Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel "Johnny Guerra" has been replaced in five (5) of the nine (9) criminal cases he convinced a grand jury to file against Vice President Dick Cheney, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. Attorney Mervyn Mosbacker, state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., District Judges Migdalia Lopez and Janet Leal, former Willacy D.A. Gustavo "Gus" Garza, and District Clerk Gilbert Lozano, along with GEO Corp., and former warden David Forrest.

Presiding District Judge J.Manuel Banales has appointed Asst. Cameron County to Alfredo Padilla to handle the cases for Mosbacker, Lopez, Leal, Garza, and Lozano due to Guerra being absent from court.

The judge found Guerra violated Section 3.08 of the rules of professional conduct, in that a victim (Guerra) can't prosecute five of the cases, where he could be called as a wtiness.

Guerra has telephoned in from Mexico and Houston to selected Texas media outlets claiming he did not know he was supposed to be in court yesterday afternoon.

The Texas Rangers will likely wait for Guerra to cross the international bridge near Reynosa or catch him driving on U.S. 77 southbound from Houston; either tonight or early tomorrow. He will then be taken into protective custody and escorted to court in Raymondville tomorrow morning.

Assuming he is not AWOL again; Guerra could continue as prosecutor for Vice President Cheney, Gonzales, Sen. Lucio, GEO Corp., and Forrest.

Attorney Michael Cowen, who is representing Sen. Lucio, got the court to agree to a trial date of Dec. 8th, as Lucio wants Guerra to personally try the case he lodged against him.

Updated -- Thursday, Nov. 20 at 9:15 p.m.